Seasoned Saints Ambassador Andrew Young
Former Ambassador to the United Nations and Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young (above at his Andrew J. Young Foundation office in Midtown) sat down with The Atlanta Voice for our Seasoned Saints series. Photo by The Atlanta Voice
Metro
SEASONED SAINTS
ONLINE Dickens delivers love letter to City of Atlanta
Andrew Young prepares to turn 93 next week
BY DONNELL SUGGS
Former Atlanta Mayor and United States Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young prefers to sit in the tan straight-back chair instead of the large, soft loveseats in the all-hands room at the Andrew J. Young Foundation’s Midtown offices. The steadiness of the chair helps the former Civil Rights era leader relax during long sitting spells. Never afraid to get into a debate, conversation, or storytelling session, Young, 92, grabbed a chair, got comfortable, and took part in an interview with The Atlanta Voice last month.
With his 93rd birthday approaching on Mar. 12, Young said he has many things on his mind these days, so the interview, which was more like a conversation, ranging from whether or not the City of Atlanta could host another Summer Olympic Games, the importance of Black-owned media, his thoughts on the recent attempts by the current presidential administration to erase Black history from curriculums across the country to the secret to a long life, and his message to Black America in the wake of a second Trump presidency.
“I don’t feel no ways tired. We’ve come too far from where we started, and nobody ever told us the way would be easy,” Young said about the state of Black America. “I don’t believe HE brought us this far to leave us.”
Atlanta: The Center of the Universe
The discussion began with the question of whether or not Atlanta is as good as advertised. Young answered the question by echoing a familiar phrase in this town.
“There are several Atlanta’s,” he said.
“There’s an Atlanta before 1960. Then there’s an Atlanta from 1960 to 1970, and there’s still another Atlanta from 1970-1996,” Young said.
Young believes Atlanta is one of the most international cities “on the planet.”
“That’s in terms of our culture, in terms of our economy, and in terms of our vision,” Young said. “Atlanta, since the second World War, has been a cultural center.”
He used Coca-Cola and Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport as examples of what helped Atlanta become a household name around the world.
“Coca-Cola went everywhere, and that made us an international city. Then, on the other end, the airport put us in touch with people from all over the world,” he said.
Having spent two terms as the 55th Mayor of Atlanta, Young has seen the city grow a lot.
“I don’t
He says his youth in segregated New Orleans helped prepare him for the diverse Atlanta that exists today.
“I loved being mayor. I almost think I was born to be mayor,” Young said. “I was trained in New Orleans. The neighborhood that I lived in had an Irish grocery store on one corner, an Italian bar on the next corner, the Nazi Party was on the third corner, and a Chevrolet dealership around the fourth corner. Now that was one view of the world.”
Olympics Again?
One of the key moments that helped lead
Atlanta to where it is today as one of the top states to do business, live, and work in the United States came when the city hosted the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.
“Of the 85 countries that had a vote, I knew I had some connection to 55 of them,” Young said. “I didn’t have to think twice about it. I said we can win it.”
When asked how such a lofty goal for Atlanta in 1990, a much different city in so many ways compared to today, seemed so possible to him, Young said he simply believed it was possible.
“Not for me. I didn’t think of it as lofty,” he said. “The only thing we didn’t want to do
was leave the city in debt.”
The 1996 Summer Olympic Games cost $1.7 billion and was funded entirely by private investment. There was no financial assistance from the government, which made the Atlanta Games the first Olympic Games of its kind. And one of the most profitable to date. The Paris Games in 2024 cost $9.45 billion, in comparison.
“We didn’t use any city money, no state money, and no federal money,” Young said.
Asked if hosting the Games again would be a good idea, Young isn’t as gung-ho as he
Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young (above) will turn 93 years old on Wednesday, March 12. The New Orleans native said,
feel no ways tired.” Photo by The Atlanta Voice
Continued from page 2
was when Billy Payne walked into his office some three-plus decades ago.
“We didn’t have the traffic problems in 1996 that we have now,” Young explained. “The way we dealt with the traffic back then was we took over the bus system, and you bought your ticket, and it had transportation on it.”
“We set up our own traffic system,” Young said about how MARTA buses were used as shuttles to and from Olympic venues around the city.
Young believes the reason he, Payne, and so many others were able to help bring the Summer Olympics to Atlanta was the power of ideas and where those ideas came from. Payne had watched the Olympics on television and thought, why not Atlanta?
“You don’t think about things like that unless you’ve also experienced the power of God in your life,” Young said.
During the interview, Young shared his own story about the Summer Olympics.
Growing up in his native New Orleans, his father took him to a local movie theater where the pair sat in the segregated seating area and watched legendary sprinter Jesse Owens win four Olympic gold medals during the 1936 Berlin Games while Adolf Hitler watched.
Young said another Atlanta administration might do it again, but he doesn’t have the energy to participate in the planning process. He does believe Atlanta is more than capable of hosting the Games in the future.
“We could do it,” he said.
Asked if he would throw his support behind a second Olympic bid for his adopted home, Young said he would.
Live Long and Prosper
“I’d never be against anything that’s good for Atlanta. I’d always believe it can’t be too big or too good for us,” Young said. “We are a people that rise to the occasion.”
Young said that in order to live a long life, the secret was to “eat right, sleep right, exercise, and drink water.” And then he got serious.
“And I think there’s an element of faith and trust. It’s hard to live right if you’re not living for something that is right,” Young said.
He listed being able to contribute to one’s family and community as a reason to live a long time. Not material items.
“To say that I want to live to be 75 or 85 because it’s going to take me that long to afford a Cadillac isn’t a good reason,” Young said. “I want to be able to contribute to my family and my community and see that all of them have an opportunity to be the best that they can be.”
MARTA encourages federal employees to use transit as they return to office
BY ISAIAH SINGLETON
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) encourages federal employees in metro Atlanta to take transit as they return to the office.
Federal agencies started requiring staff to return to the office full-time this week under a new mandate from President Donald Trump.
Downtown Atlanta has several federal office buildings with thousands of employees, many of whom began working remotely during COVID and on a hybrid schedule post-pandemic. The full-time return to the office means more single-occupancy cars on the road, adding to traffic congestion and making parking downtown more costly and difficult to find.
MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood said to let “MARTA do the driving” and it can be difficult getting back into the groove of going into the office five days a week.
“It’s been an adjustment for many of us,
buildings, providing direct tunnel access to the Richard B. Russell Federal building. Five Points is MARTA’s hub and the connecting point for all four rail lines and the following ten bus routes:
· Route 3 – Martin Luther King Jr Dr/Auburn Ave
· Route 21 – Memorial Drive
· Route 26 – Marietta Street / Perry Boulevard
· Route 40 – Peachtree Street / Downtown
· Route 42 – Pryor Road
· Route 49 – McDonough Boulevard
· Route 55 – Jonesboro Road
· Route 186 – Rainbow Drive / South DeKalb
· Route 816 – North Highland Avenue
· Route 813 – Atlanta University Center
The following rail stations also serve downtown Atlanta, as does the Atlanta Streetcar., Peachtree Center, Georgia State, Garnett, and GWCC/CNN Center.
let MARTA drive and you can listen to music or scroll on your phone during your commute and not have the added stress of
traffic
Greenwood said.
Young looks at an issue of The Atlanta Voice from October 20, 1979. Young was on the cover of that issue and many others during his time as Atlanta Mayor. Photo by The Atlanta Voice
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) encourages federal employees in metro Atlanta to take transit as they return to the office. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
“We all require and want respect, man or woman, black or white. It’s our basic human right.” — Aretha Franklin
After the L.A. Fires, ‘Disaster Gentrification’ Looms
BY ALFRED L. GLOVER
Living and practicing medicine in the Los Angeles area for over 20 years, I have been shaken to the core by the velocity of the loss to our community.
The Eaton Fire has had a devastating impact on the historically Black community of Altadena, California.
This enclave, a stronghold of the Black middle class, resilience, and generational wealth, has faced profound losses, with over 1,000 structures destroyed and countless residents displaced. The fires not only obliterated homes but also profoundly affected the cultural and emotional fabric of the community, which has a unique legacy tied to the civil rights movement and Black home ownership.
Altadena, with its historically high Black ownership rate (81.5% before the fire), has long been a refuge for African Americans fleeing discrimination. For generations, families have built wealth and stability here, but the wildfires have devastated much of this progress.
Residents like Danny Bakewell Jr., President of the Bakewell company, which owns the Los Angeles Sentinel, stated that both his girlfriend
and son lost their homes and “the devastation is unreal for so many families.”
The psychological and financial toll is further compounded by the fear of “disaster gentrification,” in which developers capitalize on such tragedies to acquire land at discounted rates, potentially displacing long-term residents. This has become a common practice in multiple communities of color throughout the United States.
Disaster gentrification further magnifies the climate and equity challenges facing marginalized communities and communities of color after disasters. The destruction underscores broader issues of environmental justice.
Climate change has intensified, and fire conditions, such as the rapid alternation between extreme drought and heavy rains, have made areas like Altadena increasingly vulnerable. Black communities, statistically, are more susceptible to climate disasters and often lack the safety nets and resources needed for recovery. This disparity is starkly evident in Altadena’s struggle to rebuild.
Despite the devastation, community mobilization with local activists and organizations is providing relief. Crowdfunding campaigns, in-
cluding GoFundMe platforms, have been set up for multiple families. Major initiatives by local leaders aim to preserve the community’s legacy and resist displacement.
The emotional and cultural loss these fires have inflicted on the community leaves behind significant emotional pain, which some have termed “solastalgia,” the grief over environmental destruction. Families are mourning not only the loss of physical homes but also Altadena’s natural spaces, and its residents’ profound connection to the land. This cultural loss resonates deeply in a community that has historically overcome systemic barriers to establish its foothold in the region.
Altadena’s recovery will require equitable rebuilding policies, robust community support, and sustained advocacy to ensure this historically Black community retains its identity and continues its vital legacy.
Alfred L. Glover, DPM, FACFAS, is a Board-Certified Podiatrist in Foot and Ankle Surgery. He was a 2023 Climate Health Equity Fellow with the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, and a 2024-5 Policy Experience in Equity, Climate & Health Fellow
FOUNDED May 11, 1966 FOUNDER/EDITOR
Ed Clayton Immortalis Memoria
PUBLISHER/EDITOR
J. Lowell Ware Immortalis Memoria
The Atlanta Voice honors the life of J. Lowell Ware.
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Janis Ware
PRESIDENT/
GENERAL MANAGER
James A. Washington 2018-2024
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In the aftermath of the Eaton Fire, Black residents of Altadena, California, are worried about developers swooping in to displace residents. Ringo Chiu via AP
Spiritually Speaking: Rational Nonsense
BY JAMES A. WASHINGTON
The Atlanta Voice
What do you do on those days when you can’t seem to focus on Jesus? What do you do when nothing you do and nothing anyone says to you gets you back in order with the Lord? Unless you’re above the rest of us, you must have days when there is no joy, not in the morning, not in the afternoon, and especially not at night when joy is exactly what you need. I’m just being honest when I ask myself if anybody else has gone through dry spells of faith and belief. I don’t want my commitment to waver or my mind to wander. But, if I’m honest, both do far more frequently than I sometimes want to admit.
In the world we live in, wavering faith and a wandering mind is a formula for death and damnation. What’s the old saying that idle mind is the devil’s playground? Add to that wavering faith, and the mix will be sinfully volatile. I don’t know about you, but be -
Certain actions are unacceptable, and many words cannot be spoken.
fore I was saved, I could rationalize just about any behavior because the basis for it was my own well-being. As long as I was okay, what I did or said could always be rationalized through the consequences I had to endure. The consequence of my behavior towards others was their problem. After being saved, there is always at least one otherder when it comes to the consequences of my actions, my words and, yes, person to consi even my thoughts. We all k now who that is.
When you consider the Lord as part of you, certain thoughts can embarrass you. Certain actions are unacceptable, and many words cannot be spoken. You see when you walk around with Christ and entertain table talk to digest wavering faith and a wandering mind. Focus is re -
“YOUR VOICE”
quired. Mental sharpness is just part of it, as is spiritual clarity. I’m just acknowledging that it is not always easy and sometimes seems impossible. I’ve come to understand the reality of this and recognize it, Him; it’s hard, too, as part of the larger struggle for salvation.
My latest lesson learned from all this is that regardless of how much wavering and wandering I do, the place to be at the end of the day is on my face in prayer. Sometimes, I know I am white hot for the Lord, and face down is a perfect culmination to an awesome day. There are other times, however, when I’m embarrassed and guilty and therefore reluctant to bring my new mess to my face-down position. The answer can easily be, don’t go there. I know now that God
expects to hear from me, whether it’s an old or new mess. As a matter of fact, I now believe He’s waiting every night like a parent who asks the child and then listens for the prayer before bedtime. Like it or not, the last thing I want is for God to come and look for me. Unlike Adam in the garden, I know I’m naked, and I cannot hide. Regardless of the situation, the best place is to face down, with your hands open, and ask for forgiveness. Consistency might bring some amount of credibility. May God bless and keep you always.
This column is from James Washington’s Spiritually Speaking: Reflections for and from a New Christian. You can purchase this enlightening book on Amazon and start your journey toward spiritual enlightenment.
Considering the recent reintroduction of a Reparations bill (H.R 40) by
Rep. Ayanna Pressley, what would reparations look like for you today?
Atlanta
“Reparations for me, now, I feel like you must set me up for success regarding my entrepreneurship endeavors. Give me the building, set up the funding, and make sure that I'm afloat for the next several years to come so that I can pass that on to a family member or son and keep that in the family.”
Atlanta
“Reparations for me would be a universal income. And I'm one for Indigenous folks and anybody affected by our system, unfairly black folks as well. And it would be a minimum basic living wage that we are automatically given to invest in how we want and then to be able to pursue our pursuits at our leisure.”
Clarkston
“For me, reparations would look like methods in which I would be able to have X amount of money to invest in, first and foremost, Africa, South Africa. I propose making some land investments, maybe here in the States and other places in other countries as well. So, Africa, some investments here, and things for my children.”
Lithonia
“What reparations would mean for me is a multilevel investment in the community I choose to live in, a black community at the infrastructure level, financial grants, community organization, business life, and well-being. Health and finances, and finances and finances.”
Compiled by Vincent Christie
SHEA WALKER
ASHLEAH NELSON
KEVIN HYMAN
ADENA HICKS
Atlanta couple debuts tequila brand Reyalibre
The Gathering Spot expands in West Midtown with new location
BY NOAH WASHINGTON
In 2025, The Gathering Spot (TGS) continued its vision of expansion with the launch of a new location in West Midtown, taking over the former site of the Leave of Absence (L.O.A) Social Club. This move aligns with the company’s longterm strategy, which has existed since its inception in 2013. Finding the right growth opportunities has been a key challenge, but according to TGS leadership, this latest venture presents an exciting and unique possibility.
West Midtown has seen a wave of business closures in recent years, raising questions about the sustainability of new ventures in the area. However, TGS remains confident in attracting and serving its community.
“We’re used to being on an island at TGS,” Ryan Wilson, co-founder of TGS, said. Wilson emphasized TGS’s belief that success is driven by internal efforts rather than broader market trends. Despite some shifts in the West Midtown business landscape, ongoing development and investment suggest a strong future for the area.
“If you just look around, there's still cranes in the sky and a lot of money being invested on the side of the city,” Wilson said.
Malik Leaphart, senior associate at Stream Realty Partners, who played a key role in securing the deal for TGS’s new space, emphasized the organization’s deep understanding of the Atlanta market.
“TGS has spent the past decade expanding its footprint and refining its offerings to elevate the experience for its members,” Leaphart said.
One of the most notable aspects of the new TGS location is its range of unique amenities. Unlike previous spaces, this venue includes a pool, carried over from L.O.A Social Club, which is now an entirely new feature for TGS members. Additionally, the location offers unparalleled elevation, providing stunning views of the Atlanta skyline on one side and a vast, open landscape on the other.
“From an amenities perspective, this has some really unique features,” Wilson said. He also praised the original design and construction of the former L.O.A. space. These elements will elevate the experience for members who gather, socialize, and collaborate within the space.
The expansion does not mean changes to TGS’s original location, which remains a cornerstone of the brand’s identity. Wilson described the space as a “retreat” for members, offering a different setting for socializing and networking while maintaining the core values that define TGS. The original site will continue to serve as an institution within Atlanta’s cultural and business landscape.
“It’s one of those landmarks in town,” Wilson remarked.
The new TGS location, which spans approximately 60,000 square feet, encompasses the entire rooftop and a significant portion of the fifth floor of the Interlock building. This expansion marks a major milestone for the company, which has expanded its offerings with locations in Las Angeles and Washington, D.C. Reflecting on this achievement, TGS leadership expressed both excitement and humility.
“This is a long journey,” Wilson stated, recalling the early days of the company’s development. “I can’t say that I ever envisioned this exact space at this exact time, but I always believed we would build unique places.” Wilson acknowledges the growth and evolution that brought them to this moment.
“I’m excited. I’m humbled,” he shared. “When we started this journey, I was 22, going on 23, with a limited vision of what was possible,” Wilson continued. As TGS continues to evolve, this new space marks an expansion and the organization’s commitment to community: “This is just another exciting chapter in a journey that has been years in the making.”
The Gathering Spot co-founder Ryan Wilson (above) poses for a photo at the future home of a new Midtown location. Photo by Noah Washington/The Atlanta Voice
The former site of the Leave of Absence (L.O.A) Social Club will be the site of a new TSG location, according to multiple reports. Photo by Noah Washington/The Atlanta Voice
Meet the Mayors of Georgia, Black men edition
Black Women: The Vanguards of Horticulture
BY ANISSA DURHAM
Talia Boone, a Los Angeles native, has arranged flowers for years as a way to relieve stress. Whenever anxious thoughts creep in, she heads to the vast L.A. Flower Market, a wholesale market that caters to professional florists — and picks whichever flowers make her feel good.
Back home, over a cup of tea or a glass of wine, Boone loses herself while arranging the fresh-cut flowers. But she’s also reversing a stereotype: that floral design is only for white people.
“Let’s be really clear: our ancestors built this country,” says Boone, a Black woman who turned her passion for flowers into a small business, Postal Petals, during the pandemic. “You really think the enslavers were planting gardens, cutting flowers, and making arrangements to put them in the house? Absolutely not. That is something that belonged to us as a people.”
That the art form “has been whitewashed and forgotten is just disappointing,” she says.
Boone is part of a small but growing community of Black women who are reclaiming the floral space once occupied by their ancestors — not just in flower arrangement but also in the science and art of growing them.
“Flowers feed our soul. Flowers feed us mentally,” says Teresa Speight, an author, horticulturist and gardening podcaster. “They give us our energy. It’s a great way to heal and help us with stress.”
A Washington, D.C. native with ancestors who were sharecroppers, Speight’s work highlights the experiences of Black floral designers, activists, farmers, and entrepreneurs. Her “why” is simple: “You don’t hear about them.”
So, she wrote a book, “Black Flora: Inspiring Profiles of Floriculture’s New Vanguard,” centering the mostly Black women who are thriving in a space that hasn’t always included them.
The history of horticulture in the Black community is rooted in resilience and resistance. When enslaved Africans were forced to carry out agricultural labor in southern states, they brought their expertise and at times seeds to cultivate the land.
According to the Smithsonian Kaleidoscope, both free and enslaved African Americans in the 18th century used gardening to feed themselves. They often grew collard greens, watermelon, okra, black-eyed peas, and sweet potatoes.
With a history of cultivating the land for others, Black women continue to lead the way in floriculture — the practice of growing flowers as a means of economic independence. In southern states, Black women have a rich history of arranging flowers for grave sites and
selling them in markets and as street vendors.
“Most people would not think that we would consider having beauty in the midst of our pain, in the midst of our struggle, but we always find a way to make a way,” Speight, founder of Cottage in the Court says. “And part of that is bringing beauty inside our homes.”
The first time Speight published her book it sold out and became a distant memory, she says. Then an editor at Timber Press told Speight she was tired of seeing white men get accolades for everything in horticulture. It was republished last year.
“It’s like a match has been lit again, and
this time we’re not letting it go out,” she says. “We’re here to stay. They thought they buried us. Here we are.”
Flower Arranging is an Act of Self Care, Love
For Boone, the Los Angeles flower arranger, flowers mean healing.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, she found herself stressed and in need of flower arranging. While she could find companies who could deliver flowers to her door, the bundles weren’t always the freshest cut. And she wanted to be a part of the experience — arranging the flowers herself.
By the end of the summer, Boone founded Postal Petals, a floral wellness company that sends fresh-cut flowers and allows customers to make their own arrangements. The DIY approach, she says, is an opportunity for them to practice self-care, mindfulness, and creative expression.
“The art truly does belong to us,” she says.
Last month, Boone was one of hundreds of Los Angeles County residents forced from their homes due to wildfires. Although her home is intact, hundreds of families in historically Black neighborhoods like Altadena and Pasadena lost everything.
“I believe really strongly that healing begins with gratitude,” she says.
In the coming weeks, Postal Petals will launch Flowers for First Responders, a free wellness event for people who lost their homes and anyone who helped in the crisis, including firefighters, police and community volunteers. The event will include healing circles, DIY flower arrangements, and guided meditations.
“Flowers for First Responders is going to be a celebration of those who survived,” she says. “I just feel like it will be a really beautiful expression of who L.A. is. This idea of letting
flowers be the light to start the healing process — I get emotional thinking about it.”
An Ode to the History of Black Horticulture
Born and raised in Atlanta, Abra Lee spent her weekends as a child in Barnesville, Georgia, a rural town where she was first introduced to agriculture and horticulture. Her mother, a historian, and her father, a director of parks in Atlanta, helped spark her passion for nature.
After completing her degree in horticulture, Lee got her first big break at 26, as the landscape manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Shortly after, imposter syndrome followed: not because she was a Black woman, but because she was young.
Her mother, however, who reminded her that it was African Americans who took care of the Moton Field for the Tuskegee Airmen.
“Even though I didn’t know their names, I was not the first person, young person, Black person to be at the intersection of aviation and gardening,” Lee says. “I just needed to understand the shoulders I was standing on.”
Now more than 25 years later, this is all she knows. This is her life.
At the root of Lee’s research is how after emancipation, formerly enslaved Southern people often returned to the plantations for their plants, cuttings, and seeds, then brought them back to their plots of land to sustain family farms. She learned about the practice from a 1940s interview with William Lanier Hunt, a white horticulturalist from North Carolina.
“That blew my mind, because two things can be true: the horrors of bondage, but also, ‘I’m going back for my rose,’” Lee says. “That helped me understand Blackness not just in the agrarian way, but the importance of beauty in all parts of the puzzle for us to live as whole human beings.”
Yet African American communities also have experienced racial oppression tied to nature.
After slavery was abolished, lynchings became widespread in Southern states, it often took place in the woods. And Jim Crow laws kept Black people from public beaches, national parks, pools, and other public lands.
Lee recognizes that not every Black person grew up in the South or understands the historical connection between oppression and nature. Still, she makes it a point to help folks in the community embrace their own relationship to the land.
Now, as the director of horticulture at Oakland Cemetery, she educates visitors about the gardens planted by family members and descendants of Black residents.
“Black garden history in the United States is American garden history,” Lee says. “There’s no real conversation about American gardens, if you’re not including Black people in that. Let’s just be for real.”
Abra Lee holding a rare copy of the ‘Handbook of the Negro Garden Club of Virginia’ after one of her lectures on Black Garden History. Photo submitted
Inside the small but growing community of Black women who reclaim the floral and agricultural space. To them, it’s an act of resilience. Courtesy of Boone
Community
Civil rights activist Leona Ivey honored for her work in fighting segregation
BY LAURA NWOGU
Black History Month stickers are plastered all over a room on the floor of The Palms at Lake Spivey, a senior living community in Jonesboro. For many, it would just signal a celebration of the month-long holiday, but beyond the door is 78-year-old Leona Ivey, a resident at The Palms who is being honored for her community service and local fights for injustice during the Civil Rights Movement.
From volunteering at The Palms to chairing the finance department at her church and organizing Thanksgiving baskets for families in need, Ivey said she loves giving back but doesn’t crave the recognition of her good deeds.
“It feels good to be honored, but I’m not one that likes to be honored; I do it from my heart. I do a lot of stuff, but it’s because of the leadership of my father, which is God. He just guides me to do things,” Ivey said. “I don’t like to be around a lot of people, but I love people. Ever since I was a little girl, I used to give away everything, but that's the way I am.”
Ivey grew up in Scottsdale, Georgia, as the eldest of nine children and the stepdaughter of a preacher. She shared that they lived a happy life and always thought they were rich because she believed they had everything they needed. However, growing up in a Black community led her to question why they were treated differently. She graduated from Hamilton High School in 1964, a former school serving Black students that closed after desegregation just five years later. It was during that time that her church mentor took a group of them down to Macon to participate in a civil rights march that became the first of many for Ivey.
“I always said I marched with Dr. King because that's what I always wanted to do. But we never knew who was on the front line because we were children and were in the back. I always say he was there because I always felt like he was at every march.
“But I know some of the marches are not even documented. I participated in quite a few that are not documented.”
Ivey was taught nonviolence by her church mentor and worked out of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) branch in Decatur while attending college. In 1966, the NAACP sent Ivey to Sears to apply for a job after she hinted that she would quit school to help her family with finances. When she inquired about a clerical position they’d been advertising, management told her there were no clerical positions open and that she could work
in the cafeteria as a cashier, a reality for many Black workers who were relegated to kitchen, janitorial and warehouse positions. The NAACP called them and accused them of discriminatory hiring, and she was offered a position as a warehouse supervisor.
“At Sears. It was Black and white on the water fountains and on the bathrooms. We had to sit in the back of the cafeteria… It helped me to understand a lot.”
Ivey was among a group of Black workers who organized a march to protest Sears’ discriminatory hiring practices. Along with civil rights leader and Atlanta icon Hosea Williams, they walked out of the popular department store. After the walk-out, Ivey said she and other Black workers in different departments were promoted.
“I think the marches, even the undocumented marches, helped us a lot. You can [enact change] at any age… You treat people not the way they treat you, but the way you want to be treated.”
78-year-old Leona Ivey (above) fought to desegregate a local Sears in the 1960s. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
Leona Ivey (above) was taught nonviolence by her church mentor and worked out of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) branch in Decatur while attending college in the 1960’s. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
Fox 5 Atlanta’s Alex Whittler has made a home for herself in Atlanta
BY DONNELL SUGGS
The children started walking over to sit down once they saw Alex Whittler set up a small Bose speaker and place five books at her side. The Fox 5 Atlanta anchor was preparing for storytime at the Buckhead Library on a cool Saturday morning in February. Reading for Saturday storytimes is something she has done periodically for the past year. Whittler said it was a way to give back to children the way a local librarian did for her when she was in second grade.
“We have a lot of options today. Do you guys like Llama, Llama, Red Pajama?,” Whittler asked a small group of children seated at her feet in a corner of the library’s main room as soft instrumental music played in the background.
After she read Anna Dewdney’s “Llama, Llama Red Pajama”, a popular enough selection that she always makes sure to bring it for storytime, Whitller read the four other books she brought. Each time with a level of patience a parent or elementary school teacher would appreciate.
“I feel like I’ve read this one to you before, so don’t tell them what happens,” Whittler, smiling, said to a little girl who was a part of the growing crowd of children seated on the library’s colorful carpet.
The book she was referring to was “I’m Not Scared, You’re Scared,” which was written by Late Night with Seth Myers host Seth Myers, a fellow Northwestern University alum. Whittler closed out storytime by reading one of her favorite books as a child, “Lazy Ozzie”.
Written in 1994 by author Michael Coleman and illustrated by Gwyneth Williamson, “Lazy Ozzie” was a book that Whittler’s mother used to read to her when she was a kid. Whittler thought it was appropriate to have it on hand for storytime.
Born in Chicago, the Whittler family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico when she was six years old.
“I was heartbroken. I was very sad about it, but we moved to New Mexico, and not long after that, we had my little brother,” Whittler recalled during an interview with The Atlanta Voice.
Whittler said her parents wanted to move somewhere affordable and chose the land of Enchantment for his family to replant roots. There would be a return to Chicago for Whittler, but as a college student when she decided to study at Loyola University Chicago, now made more famous by the basketball programs run to the Final Four in 2018 as an 11-seed and 105-year-old superfan Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM.
“We would always go back to Chicago for birthdays, holidays, Thanksgiving, family reunions, and I just loved it there,” Whittler said. “We were the only Black family in our Albuquerque neighborhood, and when we would go back to Chicago, I saw myself represented there.”
to try to impress him at the dinner table,” Whittler said.
Her professional career started in college at ABC 7 Chicago, where she worked as a freelance field producer before moving to Richmond, Virginia, to work at NBC 12.
About her time working as a freelancer at ABC 7 Chicago, Whittler said it was an important step in the direction she would eventually craft a career in: broadcast journalism.
“I remember being a kid and watching Soledad O’Brien on CNN. I feel like a lot of Black women can relate to this,” Whittler said.
Whittler said, watching someone who looked like her on TV
“I remember thinking ‘I kind of want to do that’,” she said.
Moving to Atlanta to begin working for Fox 5 Atlanta during the COVID pandemic in 2020 was an interesting transition that taught Whittler a lot about this city and its people. Five years later she says she doesn’t feel like she has had that ‘I’ve made it’ moment.
“I don’t ever feel like I’ve made it,” she said. “I think there was something really humbling about my current job because I always told myself that I wanted to be the kind of anchor who turned in special projects, and whenever they do report, it’s stellar. And I feel like I have been able to do that.”
On weekends, she likes to host storytime, which brings her full circle back to being the new kid in Albuquerque when the local librarian, Ms. Huggins, helped her adjust to a new city at a very formative time in her life.
“I have always loved the library. Ms. Huggins would read “The Tale of Despereaux” every week, and she would use all these different voices,” Whittler said. “I just thought Ms. Huggins was so cool, and I also wanted to encourage kids to read.”
Whittler said the local library was one of the first places that she felt welcomed in New Mexico. Fast-forward to 2025, and she welcomes kids to the library with her storytime appearances. She contacted the Buckhead Library about volunteering as a reader, and the rest is history. During storytime, Whittler used several voices while reading “Lazy Ozzie,” for example.
February has traditionally been a busy month for Whittler because of the amount of Black History Month reports she and the other anchors and reporters do at Fox 5 Atlanta. In addition to that, she volunteers as a moderator for events like father-daughter dances and the City of Kennesaw’s annual Black History Bowl, which took place earlier this month.
On the importance of local news, Whittler said she believes it’s more important than ever. She feels like she is doing her part to inform the public every day as a member of Atlanta’s media.
After graduating from Loyola, Whittler moved on to Northwestern to study journalism at the Medill School of Journalism. The journalism bug was planted in her early on, first as an avid reader and later as a consum-
er of current events. She credits her father for that.
“My dad would ask what happened in the world today, and I always wanted to impress him, so I paid attention to whatever I could
“It’s not a secret I never thought I would work in Atlanta. Not anything against it, I was never seeking it out” said Whittler. “Miraculously, I have been blessed with several promotions, and I don’t take that for granted.”
Alex Whittler (above, inside the reading room at the Buckhead Library) was born in Chicago and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her local library and librarian were sources of comfort and inspiration while growing up. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
Whittler started reading at the Buckhead Library a year ago as a way to give back to the community. “I have always loved the library,” she said. She also volunteers as a moderator for events like father-daughter dances and the City of Kennesaw’s annual Black History Bowl.
Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
HUD Job Cuts Equal a Housing Implosion
City of Stonecrest opens free grocery store inside MLK, Jr. High School
BY ISAIAH SINGLETON
In partnership with Martin Luther King Jr. High School and the City of Stonecrest, The Lion’s Den Grocery Store opens the first-ever free grocery store within the DeKalb County School District.
Housed inside MLK Jr. High, this store will provide hundreds of students and their families access to fresh groceries throughout the school year in an environment built on dignity and respect.
In DeKalb County, where over 34% of residents live in poverty and with over 41% of Black households in DeKalb struggling to afford necessities, this initiative is more than just a convenience—it’s a lifeline.
Black households struggle to make ends meet; access to nutritious food isn’t guaranteed. It’s a daily challenge. With median household incomes at just $45,431 and an unemployment rate of 4.8%, many families in Lithonia are forced to make impossible choices between food, rent, and other necessities.
Goodr said they are proud to have partnered with the city of Stonecrest and the Title 1 school to open The Lion’s Den, the first free grocery store in DeKalb County School District (DCSD), Georgia’s third-largest school district, serving more than 92,000 students across nearly 140 schools and centers.
The event also included tours of the new market and remarks on the new solution's impact on food insecurity within the DeKalb County School District and beyond.
MLK Jr. High School Principal Michael Alexander said that through the partnership with the City of Stonecrest, 12 schools within the DeKalb County School District will receive $100,000 to use for wellness or Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) to impact the school community.
“We decided to use those funds, with the safe center we created, to partner with Goodr to create this grocery store inside our school and to be able to serve our community,” he said. “This was also to help alleviate food insecurities we noticed within MLK Jr. High.”
MLK Jr. High has also been implementing the Student and Family Engagement Center (SFEC), also known as the Safe Center. This center combines wraparound services and community partnerships to provide comprehensive support to students and families.
Mayor of Stonecrest Jazzmin Cobble said she feels overstimulated and very excited to see the Lion’s Den come to fruition.
“It's been a long time coming. A lot of great work has been put into it, from the school system to the city, to the county, and our school right here at MLK,” she said.
Cobble said they wanted to support their students and decrease the distractions in the classroom, one of which was hunger.
“If there's anything we can do to get that
out of their system, so when they're in class, they can focus, pay attention, and contribute, then that's what we wanted to do,” she said.
“We just want them to be the very best they can be.”
Superintendent Dr. Devon Horton said that with grocery bills gradually increasing, families could benefit from having the type of access to groceries the Lion’s Den will offer.
“Groceries are at an all-time high, and we’re
concerned when we talk about food insecurities, the direct connections to the SEL, and mental health challenges our students and families are already facing. This allows the families of MLK to have one less concern,” Horton said.
Dr. Naomi Hemphill, the Social Work liaison for the Safe Center, says the center aims to increase student engagement by developing a safe and welcoming space where students can meet their needs while on student practice.
“As a district, we always seek opportunities that support our efforts in student academic success. One of the many significant barriers to gaps is food insecurity,” she said. “One study reports food insecurity impacts 1/8 of American households, which in turn affects student attendance, their behavior, and overall academics.”
Furthermore, Hemphill says they aspire to decrease food insecurity while increasing academic performance, promoting school attendance initiatives, and increasing engagement between parents, families, and the school so students can graduate successfully and no longer wait for a “once a month” distribution or sit in a line for 30+ minutes.
Alexander said the process will be handled with a Google form; the first month will be its "trial and error" period. Between 25-50 families will be able to sign up, and after that month, they will see if they can increase the number of families.
Goodr, in partnership with Martin Luther King Jr. High School and the City of Stonecrest, opens The Lion’s Den Grocery Store, the first-ever free grocery store within the DeKalb County School District. Photo by Isaiah Singleton/The Atlanta Voice
Housed inside MLK Jr. High, this store will provide hundreds of students and their families access to fresh groceries throughout the school year in an environment built on dignity and respect. All products are sourced from local farmers. Photo by Isaiah Singleton/The Atlanta Voice
Morehouse College’s Maroon Tiger returns after two years
BY FREDDRELL GREEN AV Intern
On Friday, February 21, the Maroon Tiger staff gave out their first printed edition of the Morehouse College school newspaper in two years. Founded in 1898 as the Athenaeum, and eventually renamed the Maroon Tiger in 1925, the campus paper is celebrating 100 years of being the organ of student expression at Morehouse.
Editor-in-Chief Colin Royal appreciates his staff's time, talent, and commitment to putting together the centennial edition. He acknowledges the dearth of campus coverage over the past two years and hopes students can continue recognizing and appreciating their campus publication.
“The Maroon Tiger is not dead. We’re still here. We’re still kicking,” Royal said. “We serve our community, we serve Morehouse
College, and we do it gracefully. We do it in a way that brings authentic news back to the campus.”
Staff writer Joshua Bass shares Royal's sentiments. Having his work showcased in the centennial edition only highlights the collaborative efforts of his staff members and the significance of the stories he told.
“One of the stories I wrote was about an amazing professor, Rodney Jabar Walker. Another story highlighted amnesia in the United States,” Bass said. “I think this will help me grow further in my career, and I just really can’t wait to see what happens next.”
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Staff members of the Morehouse College Maroon Tiger, the school’s newspaper, hand out copies on campus on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. Photo by Freddrell Green/The Atlanta Voicet
The print version of the Maroon Tiger is back.
Photo by Freddrell Green/The Atlanta Voice
Life ONLINE R&B singer Angie Stone passes away at 63
Author Malaika Cheney-Coker explores family, grief, and forgiveness in debut novel
BY LAURA NWOGU
Author Malaika Cheney-Coker takes readers on a spiritual journey in her new book “Creature of Air and Still Water.”Set in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and Atlanta, Cheney-Coker explores themes of family, grief, sacrifice, and forgiveness while uncovering what it is to find peace in one's own personal swamp. The Atlanta Voice talked with CheneyCoker about her diverse cultural upbringing and how those experiences are reflected in her new book.
"Creature of Air and Still Water" will be available on April 8, 2025.
The Atlanta Voice: If someone were to ask you where your love of writing began, how would that story start?
Malaika Cheney-Coker: “Well, I have a writer father. My father is a poet and a novelist, so I was aware of and exposed to literature from an early age. I have written about this in a blog, but I remember being four years old and realizing I wanted to be a writer. I would say that was probably, in part, due to osmosis. You want to emulate your parents, but also the environment I grew up in — both my parents having literature backgrounds — there was a love of reading and books in the household. Beyond that being just something imbibed, I felt this instinctive interest in it which persisted.”
AV: Speaking about your childhood, you were born in Nigeria, which has a place in my heart because I am Nigerian. You also lived in the Philippines and Sierra Leone, which is the backdrop of your book “Creature of Air and Still Water.” How did those early exposures to different cultures influence how you view the world?
MC: “My mother was from the Philippines, my father was from Sierra Leone, and I was born in Nigeria because my father was working there. Like literature and books were part of my background, multiculturalism was also baked into my upbringing. Whereas there are some people — including on both sides of my family — for whom all they've ever known is to be part of one racial identity, in one community of sorts, or one country, I've always had the international hybrid or global citizen background. Even when I haven't consciously reflected on how that makes you different, I would say it gives you, in some ways, an insider-outsider perspective on cultural elements that maybe if you haven't had one foot out of a culture and in another culture, you wouldn't have as much of that perspective. Also, I do gravitate toward people who likewise have that appreciation for internationalism or love to learn about other cultures.”
AV: That also plays into your other career as well. Can you talk about your work in international development?
MC: “Because I grew up mainly in Sierra Leone, which is a beautiful and also poor country, I was well aware of the international development industry, which comprises many things, including nonprofits or NGOs that do what's called development work in other countries where they essentially implement social programs to help local populations with practical issues like economic empowerment, health care, education and so on.
“So, I decided to pursue international development proper and social change as a second career, which, let's be honest if you're a writer, which is not necessarily, for the most part, a bread-earning career, that international development career became my primary career. It was a fascinating career path, and I have been in that all my professional life for other organizations, some large, prominent international nonprofits. And now am the founder and principal of my own consulting firm, Ignited Word, where we work with social impact organi-
zations overseas and in the US.”
AV: Shifting back toward the book, it explores these themes of understanding your spiritual journey — I love the idea of “the thing — navigating grief, family, the power of forgiveness and childhood trauma with a backdrop of Atlanta and Freetown, Sierra Leone. How much of the story reflects your childhood?
MC: “A lot of the setting, the world-building, and the cultural components of the novel very much reflect my childhood because, as you've mentioned, it's primarily set in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. Most of the characters are Sierra Leonean, so I had to draw from my childhood to create details about day-to-day life in Sierra Leone and, even more significantly, in characterization.
“As you sketch out characters and develop them and try to flesh them out well, you have to bring that cultural element of personality, which is also heavily affected by culture. So, how would this person act in a way consistent with a Sierra Leonean person of this age and gender and so on and so forth? And so I had to draw heavily from my childhood and subsequent trips to Sierra Leone. And also, even living here within the Sierra Leonean diaspora, my awareness of Sierra Leonean culture.”
AV: Can you talk a little bit about the journey you take your characters Seth and Evelyn on?
MC: “Sure. The publisher has consistently said that he loves that they're both unreliable narrators. We find that Seth is indeed grappling with something which, at the outset, he doesn't know what's going on. His psychiatrist thinks he knows what's going on. He's like, ‘Yeah, this is a classic case of bipolar II disorder. And Seth thinks it's something different, and it's very frightening.
“So, that's the start of Seth's journey of being a successful
young immigrant who has achieved the American dream and then finds it at risk. And then his choices are, do I follow my gut and go back to Sierra Leone and try to get to the bottom of what's going on here because I feel like that's the only place I can find answers? Do I abandon everything that I've built over the years, or do I take the medications and submit to the regimen that's been prescribed and do the sensible thing, right?
“Evelyn is Seth's mother. She's not a very sympathetic character. She and Seth have a not-very-warm relationship, let's say. But she does have things that she wants. She has never really processed the death of her favorite son. She has that in her journey to deal with — to choose to deal with that grief or to choose not to, and that choice also affects the one thing that she thinks she can bring to the world, which is that she has a superb memory. Whether or not she's able to grow as a person and grow past some of the things that have been limitations in her relationships and her character is the journey that she's on; readers will see to what extent she's she's able to achieve that.”
AV: Going into writing this, was there an intent to tackle the complexities of mental health, especially within the diaspora?
MC: “I did not set out to write a novel focused on mental health at all. I was focused on the fascinating question of what would cause somebody to abandon everything. I was fascinated by these outlier cases, which don't quite fit the box of this diagnosis or this common condition. And so then, what box does it fit, if any? And somehow, the topic emerged that there's a spiritual emergency.
“It’s a known phenomenon that most of us have never heard about, but maybe more traditional cultures had more experience dealing with it and knew when it surfaced, what to do with it. Essentially, following the question led me down this path, which interfaced quite a bit with mental health. But I didn't initially intend to write a book focused on mental health.”
AV: Very interesting. And a portion of the proceeds are going to Friends of Refugees. Can you talk about the nonprofit and why you decided that a portion of the proceeds of this book will go toward the organization?
MC: “Friends of Refugees is a Clarkston-based nonprofit. As anybody in Atlanta would know, Clarkston is a major refugee resettlement area for the country. Just as the name suggests, they're there to provide practical services to refugees from all over the world, essentially helping people in a strange land find their footing and connect and build community. I love that about their mission and that it's an organization close to where I live.
AV: When people turn the last page on “Creature of Air and Still Water,” what do you want them to take away from the book?
MC: “I would love it if they think about it for days afterward. What those initial thoughts are? It's down to the reader. This is where magic happens, where the writer has no idea what message, of the several messages embedded in the novel, the reader will take away.
“Rather than say I would love them to take this message away, I would love for the reader to take a message that connects most strongly with that reader's experience but also helps them think about the world differently. And even after they've taken away one message, they still keep thinking about the book. Maybe another message even surfaces, and even another message surfaces over the next few days, or even longer."
Author Malaika Cheney-Coker (above) visited The Atlanta Voice to discuss her forthcoming book, “Creature of Air and Still Water.” “Creature of Air and Still Water” will be published on April 8, 2025. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
Sponsored Content
The Alternate Reality of Trump’s Black History Month Celebration
BY KEITH BOYKIN
Donald Trump hosting a Black History Month celebration at the White House, packed with shallow symbolism over substance?
I expect nothing less from Trump — but the reaction from the mostly Black audience in the East Room of the White House? That was embarrassingly disconnected from recent history.
Trump walked on stage with legendary Black golfer Tiger Woods, who once told Oprah Winfrey he described himself as “Cablinasian,” and he spent a good deal of his time on stage shouting out the Black Republicans in the audience.
But those East Room Black People were either in deep denial or deep REM sleep in recent months.
No one in the audience questioned why Trump’s Secretary of Defense canceled Black History Month events at the Pentagon or removed a Tuskegee Airmen video from Air Force training.
No one complained about Trump revoking the 1965 executive order that banned racial discrimination in government employment and by government contractors.
No one objected to Trump’s recent attempt to blame a tragic airplane crash on diversity, equity, and inclusion, or his administration’s ban on DEI throughout the federal government.
And no one mentioned Trump’s ongoing effort to repeal the 14th Amendment, which gave Black people birthright citizenship in 1868.
As long as they got to smile in front of
Politics
the white man in the White House, the East Room Black People were all good.
The East Room Black People never dared to challenge Trump when he diminished the Black scholars who put together “The 1619 Project,” which traced the history of the first enslaved Black people brought to the colonies by the British.
“The last administration tried to reduce all of American history to a single year, 1619,” Trump lied to the Black History Month crowd.
Nope, that’s not what happened. The Biden-Harris administration didn’t write or invent “The 1619 Project”; they just acknowledged its importance in American history.
And none of the East Room Black People
appeared to raise an eyebrow when Trump told them he wanted immigrants to come to the U.S., as long as they came here legally, while never discussing his racist new federal policy that allows only white South Africans to come to America but punishes Black people in that country.
No one even checked him when he lied that he won 40% of the Black vote in 2024, instead of the 13% that he actually got. Never mind the 95% of the Black vote he promised he would get eight years ago.
No one asked why he just eliminated an environmental justice program that provided 40% of the benefits from federal climate investments to Black and Brown communities.
No one seemed bothered that he just par-
doned two police officers convicted in the murder of a Black man in Washington, D.C., and gave clemency to 1,500 insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Trump’s only Black cabinet member, HUD Secretary Scott Turner, told the East Room Black People, “Every day I’ma lay it down for the people of America.”
I wish that were true, but at his confirmation hearing in January, he couldn’t even lay it down for the Black people facing racial discrimination in home appraisals. And just this week, a new report indicates HUD is actually cutting the program that fights home appraisal bias.
“We are in the presence of the greatest president of all time,” Black Trump supporter Leo Terrell told the crowd.
It’s like the East Room Black People live in an alternative universe, where Trump didn’t just spend the last year lying about the first Black vice president’s racial identity or making up ridiculous allegations that Haitian immigrants were eating dogs and cats.
The East Room Black People have somehow created a miraculous cognitive dissonance that allows them to believe that the most racist president in modern American history is actually, somehow, their hero, just because he let them come into the White House.
That’s a shockingly low bar.
“Four more years!” they chanted. Nope. No, thanks. It’s only been four weeks, and that’s already long enough.
“Black Vote, Black Power,” a collaboration between Keith Boykin and Word In Black, examines the issues and what’s at stake for Black America
GLBC honors contributors to social justice in Georgia
BY ITORO N. UMONTUEN
Friday evening, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus hosted their annual Heritage at the Georgia Aquarium. Histortically, the GLBC continually advocates for community empowerment, economic equity, and social justice. This year’s gala focused on salient issues: Tort Reform and maternal mortality.
State Senator Nikki Merritt is the chair of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus.
“The GLBC is the largest and most. Progressive Black Caucus in the nation,” Merritt said. “We are 75 members strong, representing over 3 million people throughout the state of Georgia. We are a legacy in action and progress in motion. We stand on the shoulders of legislators who came before us, those who put in the
work for justice for Black Georgians.”
State Representative Doreen Carter, a Democrat from Lithonia, chaired this year’s gala. Also, The Honorable Judge Glenda Hatchett served as the evening’s keynote speaker.
“Let me just explain it to you in two sentences: It is a matter of profit over people,” Hatchett explained. “The insurance industry may almost $90 billion with a B in 2022. It’s projected to bring in 120 billion in 2024. And so to your constituents, who are not going to be able to bring the kind of cases that they need to bring.
Hatchett also added if Florida is an example, insurance rates tripled after a similar bill.
Awards were presented to James Wilson, Nathaniel Smith, and Gregory B. Levett for their significant contributions to the GLBC.
State Representative Doreen Carter, Judge Glenda Hatchett, and State Senator Nikki Merritt pose for photographs during the 43rd annual Georgia Legislative Black Caucus gala on Friday, February 21, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo by Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice
The group of “East Room Black People” cheered as Trump lied to their faces and no one said a word about attacks on DEI or Haitian immigrants. Pool via AP
OKC Thunder cruise to 135-119 win over the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Contemporary's Spring 2025 opening highlights local art
BY NOAH WASHINGTON
Education will be at the forefront of national conversations in 2025, and art will remain a crucial part of that dialogue. Atlanta Contemporary’s Spring 2025 opening introduces a new art season to the city, featuring nine exhibitions across its campus. Over a dozen artists contributed numerous works, which opened on Thursday, February 27.
Among the featured artists is Courtney Brooks, whose installation Journey of a Black Girl, featuring her fiber art piece This Crown Belongs to Us, serves as a love letter to Black culture. The spring exhibition also includes Tall and Wild Atlanta: 1984 - 1994, by Rosa Duffy, which reflects Atlanta's rich artistic and cultural history during a transformative decade in the city’s development.
Both an artist and curator, Brooks has developed her artistic voice across multiple disciplines, including painting and photography.
"I love community, and I love helping, and I love encouraging creativity,” Brooks said. Her journey into fiber art began in 2020 during her tenure as the inaugural curator-in-residence for the Atlanta BeltLine. During this time, she created the piece, an installation featuring 15-foot-long braided fiber pieces under the guidance of Miranda Kyle. Brooks envisioned cascading braids as a tribute to Black hair and identity. The creation process was deeply communal, involving workshops at Peter Street Station and The ArtsXchange, where women gathered to contribute to the project.
Initially installed along the BeltLine, the piece remained on display for several months before weather conditions and public interaction caused some braids to deteriorate. Brooks salvaged five of them, carefully washing and storing them for five years. When Floyd Hall, executive director of Atlanta Contemporary, invited her to bring the work into the spring exhibition, Brooks saw an opportunity to expand the piece and give it a renewed presence within a museum setting.
To prepare for the Spring 2025 opening, Brooks facilitated a new workshop, engaging young students from Berean Christian Junior Academy (BCJA), where she taught kindergarten through eighth-grade girls how to braid. She encouraged them to select colors that resonated with them and contribute to the piece. The assembly process required extensive hours of sewing and restructuring to ensure the braids fit the exhibition space. To enhance the visual impact, Brooks painted the installation wall pink, creating a striking contrast and reinforcing the celebratory nature of the work.
The installation also featured a behind-thescenes film projected on the wall opposite the instillation with her art students from BCJA shot by Timberhouse Films
Floyd Hall reflected on the scope of the Spring 2025 opening, expressing his excitement about the breadth of the exhibitions, "I feel filled with gratitude that we get to work with so many amazing artists and curators in Atlanta and beyond,” Hall stated empha-
sizing the importance of refreshing the exhibition space with new work; ensuring that Atlanta Contemporary remains a reflection of the city’s evolving art scene. Hall personally worked with Rosa Duffy on Tall and Wild Atlanta: 1984 - 1994 and collaborated with Brooks on Journey Of A Black Girl
Duffy, founder of For Keeps Bookstore, crafted Tall and Wild Atlanta: 1984 - 1994, an exhibition that brings together significant artworks, books, and period-accurate objects from the years mentioned in its title, an era that she believes defined the city’s history.
“I've pulled together all these magnificent artists,” Duffy remarked, reflecting on the vast collection of pieces she considered for the show. Among the featured works is a 1987 piece by artist John Riddle, father of showrunner Diallo Riddle, that captures the essence of the Atlanta landscape.
“I love the John Riddle piece because it’s of the Atlanta landscape, and it is perfect,” she noted. Other artists in the exhibition, such as Radcliffe Bailey, hold deep personal significance for Duffy.
“Radcliffe has encouraged me so much in my practice and really changed my life,” she shared, “So he's going to be in everything that
I do," Duffy said.
In addition to curating the show, Duffy has contributed her own artwork, which bridges her archival and sculptural practices. Her piece remains untitled, though she suggested a name inspired by the exhibition title.
“Well, I might call it Tall and Wild based on the show title,” Duffy told The Atlanta Voice.
Curating Tall and Wild Atlanta: 1984 - 1994 has been an honor and a challenge for Duffy.
“It’s kind of surreal, only because I was born in the middle of this time period in 1990, and Atlanta is the only thing I care about,” Duffy said.
Recognizing the immense artistic contributions of that era, she felt a weight of responsibility in selecting the right pieces to represent it.
“The show could be done 12 times over,” she admitted, acknowledging the vast number of artists who shaped the city’s creative landscape.
Floyd Hall hopes that anyone who visits the Spring 2025 exhibitions—whether an artist, curator or someone who simply appreciates art—feels immersed in a powerful snapshot of contemporary Atlanta.
“When we’re doing our best, Atlanta Contemporary reflects contemporary Atlanta,” Floyd said.
Untitled John Riddle painting of Atlanta landscape. Photo by Noah Washington/The Atlanta Voice
Courtney Brooks in front of “This Crown Belongs to Us”, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. Photo by Noah Washington/The Atlanta Voice
Sports ONLINE 5 Healthy Habits to Help Reduce Stress
PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR:
Meet Atlanta United defender Matt Edwards
BY DONNELL SUGGS
Marietta, GA - During training on the morning of Tuesday, Mar. 3, Atlanta United defender Matt Edwards didn’t just go through the motions. He’s a starter at right back, at least for the moment, and he takes training as seriously as any other player on the team, if not more so. He has been waiting for this day since he began playing soccer as a little kid.
Now a starter for what is, at least on paper, one of the best teams in Major League Soccer, Edwards is preparing to play three of the team’s next four matches in front of a home crowd that is thirsty for trophies. He knows every moment in front of the Five Stripes supporters at Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a unique slice of time that he has to cherish.
In Charlotte, on Saturday, Mar. 1, Edwards started his second straight match and more than held his own against Charlotte FC and former English Premier League striker Wilfred Zaya, particularly during the first half. The two even went nose-to-nose during one exchange when Edwards made a play on a Charlotte pass to Zaha.
On that exchange with Zaya, Edwards said he wanted to make sure Zaha knew he wasn’t playing against “a kid.”
Through two matches Edwards has played 162 minutes, including all 90 in the season opener against CF Montreal on Feb. 22 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Edwards comes from a sports family. His mother Melissa ran track at Georgia Tech; sisters Gabby and Alexandria ran track at the collegiate level at UNC Wilmington and Barton College (Wilson, N.C.), respectively. His brother Nate also got in on the act, playing baseball for the Hurricanes of Louisburg College in Louisburg, North Carolina.
Edwards started playing soccer at the ripe old age of three years old. As he grew up, he might have had an idea of what he wanted to become, but being a starting right back in Major League Soccer some 19 years later has him already checking items off his goals (no pun intended) list.
“I want to try to start and be involved in as many games as I can,” answered Edwards when asked about some of his personal goals for this season.
He has another big personal goal for this season as well. Last year on June 21, Edwards was signed to a Homegrown contract through the 2025 season.
“At the end of the year getting a contract to stay for the next year. That’s what I am working towards,” he said.
Edwards, who also wants to total five assists this season, said trying to stay present in the moments as they come has also been
“All that” is a soccer career that is rising fast. With several defenders injured at the moment, Edwards looks to be the answer at right back for Atlanta United manager Ronny Deila.
Being able to jump from Atlanta United 2 to training camp with the big club to preseason to starting in big games, Edwards said, has been an adjustment, but one that he is prepared for. Edwards credited his time playing for the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill as a key step in his preparation.
“It helped me a lot. College is different, it’s more physical and that helped me transition into the pro role,” Edwards said, adding that Major League Soccer is a very physical league.
Before he decided to dedicate his athletic life to the beautiful game, he played other sports, such as basketball, which also helped prepare him in other ways, he said.
“I played basketball, but that was because my dad wanted me to,” Edwards said. “I played AAU for a year, but I stayed with soccer.”
He said those other athletic pursuits helped him be better prepared for the rigors and strategy that is necessary to play defender for a Major League Soccer club.
“For sure. Every sport is different with different tactics, but just being a competitor in different sports helps you appreciate your sport, and helps push you to improve,” Edwards said.
And Edwards is improving quickly, according to Deila, who after the match had good things to say about Edwards’s play during the first half of the loss at Charlotte.
Asked how his family feels about his playing soccer on the highest level in this country, Edwards said they were proud.
a major goal of his. The start in Charlotte allowed family and friends to come out to see him play in his home state. He had never played against Charlotte before, even as an Atlanta United Academy player, last Satur-
day, so he experienced another moment in his very young career.
“It was nice to play back in my hometown. It was nice to be in Charlotte,” Edwards said. “A lot of people were there.”
His parents, who were amongst the crowd of supporters in Charlotte, also wanted Edwards’s future to involve academic pursuits. He is currently studying to complete his degree in economics. After playing college soccer at the University of North Carolina from 2021-2023, he is on track to accomplish that goal. Edwards told The Atlanta Voice that he wants to begin a career in the corporate world when he’s done with soccer.
“I’m still in school. After all that is done I’ll try to go into finance or banking,” Edwards said.
“They try to show out all the time,” said Edwards, a smile creeping across his face. “You know how Black families are, they try to be there and be loud, but It’s important for them and for me to keep level-headed and just keep going.”
Personal goals aside, Edwards said he wants to accomplish several team goals that he feels are paramount to Atlanta United having a successful 2025 season. Edwards says he wants the Five Stripes to finish among the top four teams in the East so they have the best opportunity to win a second MLS title.
Asked about living his dream, Edwards smiled.
“It feels good. There’s a little bit of pressure with it, the team this year is supposed to be good, so there’s a lot of pressure with each game,” he said. “I don’t view it so much as pressure though, I view it as a chance and an opportunity. Just take it.”
Matt Edwards, 22, has started both games at right back for Atlanta United this season. A native of North Carolina, Edwards played 90 minutes in his first career start against CF Montreal and 72 minutes against Charlotte FC on Saturday, Mar. 1, 2025. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
Matt Edwards (above, pictured after training at the team’s practice facility on Tues., Mar. 4, 2025) has several personal goals he wants to accomplish this season, but team success is paramount, he says. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
Atlanta United defender Matt Edwards (right) during his second career start against Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium on Mar. 1, 2025. Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/ Atlanta United
Entertainment
SiriusXM hosts Pandora Playback Series with performance by Durand Bernarr
BY LAURA NWOGU
Under a purple hue on stage at the SiriusXM Studios in Atlanta on Thursday evening, Grammy-nominated artist Durand Bernarr serenaded audience members with some of his popular hits and songs from his new album “Bloom.” In an all-Black, sparkly ensemble, Bernarr helped Pandora listeners, fans, and locals celebrate the Black History Month experience.
The event was the latest installment in Pandora’s Playback series, a program that features intimate performances and fireside chats with artists to discuss their musical journeys. A group of team members started the series in 2019 to honor the city's identity as a cultural hub.
SiriusXM’s senior vice president of organizational culture and change management, Lauren Williams, said the series's intent to pay homage to Atlanta makes it so special. It has now become a growth moment for the studio.
“It was birthed out of something that was so important to them. And they were like, ‘We're gonna make this magical regard-
less,’ and that's exactly what they've done. Now we're here. Now look at how far we've come,” Williams said. “We've had so many
different artists. I think that's something that's very unique that we feature with the playbacks. We talked about the inspiration
behind why they created those songs and what they were feeling in that moment. We give that intimate view and get you closer to those artists that you love, which is exactly what our vision is.”
Bernarr participated in a fireside chat with Akim Bryant, Pandora’s director of programming. They discussed the process behind creating Bernarr’s new album, insight into collaborations, and how the artist navigates things such as self-love.
Since 2019, the series has featured artists such as Common, Jeezy, T-Pain, Flo Milli, and Muni Long to engage the community and harness the influence of Atlanta’s vibrant culture on the world.
“For us, we honor all of it, especially on our air. We talk about being a platform for all voices. We really, literally, are a platform for all voices. You can be like, ‘Oh, I want to listen to something so far over here, or so far over there.’ You can find it on Pandora. You're going to find it on SiriusXM.
“We believe in amplifying all those voices. And it helps within our programming to expose people to X, Y, and Z artists that they may not have listened to before.”
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Big Language Solutions, LLC seeking a Senior Project Manager in Atlanta, GA. Work with team members located in different time zones/countries to support the localization needs from clients in the industries of Technology, Healthcare, Manufacturing, etc. Lead customer communication, responds to customer consulting with customized solutions. Provide hands-on trainings for team members on TMS (Translation Management System), CAT (Computer-Assisted Translation) tools, DTP (Desktop publishing), and QA basics Telecommuting Permitted. Requires: Master’s degree in Translation, Localization Management, Linguistics, or a related field. OR Bachelor’s degree in Translation, Localization Management, Linguistics, or a related field, plus 2 years of experience in job offered or similar translating-related occupation and 2 years’ experience with: 1) CAT (Computer-Assisted Translation) tools. 2) TMS (Translation Management System). 3) DTP (Desktop publishing) tools including InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop. 4) Xbench 5) Linguistic Validation project management. 6) Multimedia Localization. Mail resume to, Varun Goyal, Chief of Staff, at 3424 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 2060, Atlanta, GA 30326
Mainframe Engineer (mltpl pos’s), US Bank, Atlanta, GA to Dsgn, dvlp, test, operate & maintain the Bank’s s/w dsgns. Pos reqs a Bachelor’s deg in CS, Info Tech, or a rltd STEM field, followed by 5 yrs of progressively respsbl exp as a S/w Dvlpr or in a rltd occupation. Exp must incl 1 year of exp w/ each of the following: 1. Proj Mgmt; 2. S/w Dvlpmt Processes & Procdrs; 3. Agile Scrum Methodology; 4. Mainframe: Z/OS, JCL, COBOL, CICS, VSAM, DB2, DB2 Stored Procedures/API Svcs; 5. Amazon Web Svcs (AWS), Core Java, MQ, Python, SAS. Teams may work from home & the office. Pay Range: $149,760.00 - $164,736.00 Apply online https://careers.usbank.com/global/en or email recruiting.excellence@usbank.com, incl job req 2025-0002289 in subject line.
Grammy-nominated artist Durand Bernarr (above) performed at the SiriusXM Studios in Atlanta on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2025. Photo by Laura Nwogu/The Atlanta Voice